The way that America commemorates the 15 year anniversary of 9/11 will shape our nation's future. Will we honor the dead by recommitting our nation to love? Or will we allow 9/11 to be used to incite hate and violence this election season?
As a Sikh mother, the question is a matter of life or death.
Because on every 9/11 anniversary, we see an astounding rise in hate against Muslim and Sikh Americans - profiling, bullying, beatings, and killings.
That's why, for the first time ever, we are releasing our

My reflection on the Pope's historic U.S. visit alongside faith leaders I love and respect:
A Pope for People of All Faiths
by FaithSource at Auburn Seminary
Originally published on OnFaith.
A single image from Pope Francis’ visit to America is seared in my mind. At an interfaith service at the 9/11 Memorial, the pope paused on stage when he met Gunisha Kaur — a fellow Sikh woman who has fought tirelessly for human rights and is now carrying her first child. The pope lowered his head, lifted his palms, and offered a

A brutal hate crime on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary has once again shaken the Sikh community. Last week, Inderjit Singh Mukker, a Sikh father was beaten in Chicago as a man called him “terrorist” and “bin Laden.” This happened in the suburb of Darien where my husband grew up. Our first reaction was sadness and overwhelming fatigue.
Tomorrow marks the 14-year anniversary of the first post-9/11 hate crime murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi, whose story we tell in our film Divided We Fall. Now as new

The families of three Muslim college students killed last week in Chapel Hill, North Carolina received more than 3,000 messages and prayers of love and support from people across America. The prayers were collected by Groundswell Movement at Auburn Seminary and delivered to the local mosque in Raleigh, NC by Rabbi Eric Solomon of Beth Meyer Synagogue.
"Groundswell collected thousands of notes from caring souls throughout the world who declared their willingness to stand in grieving solidarity with these families," Rabbi Solomon told the Barakat and Abu-Salha families. "May the souls

Every issue we care about - immigration, policing, gun violence, climate change, hate crimes, you name it - requires us to protect the Internet as a place where we can organize, innovate, and connect. If you have been following my last few posts, you know that right now, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering a proposal that would end the Internet as we know it. It will create fast lanes for those who pay—and slow lanes for the rest of us.
President Obama just announced a new plan to protect a

Published by The Legacy Project.
Valarie Kaur is a national interfaith leader, documentary filmmaker, and lawyer who centers her work around the power of storytelling. She is the founder of Groundswell at Auburn Seminary, a non-profit initiative with 100,000 members that equips people of faith in social movements. Working with students and communities, she has made award-winning films and led campaigns on hate crimes, gun violence, racial profiling, immigration detention, and solitary confinement. Valarie is a prolific public speaker on college and university campuses and frequent political contributor on MSNBC to the Melissa Harris-Perry Show. Her opinion

Published by Huffington Post.
The following remarks were delivered at the Pentagon's first-ever event to commemorate the Sikh faith on April 25, 2014. Hosted by the Pentagon Chaplain, the program was organized by Major Kalsi, Captain Rattan, Corporal Lamba, and the Sikh Coalition, an organization leading the campaign for turbaned Sikhs and other people of faith to be allowed to serve in the U.S. military.
Waheguru Ji Ka Kalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.
Thank you to the Pentagon Chaplain and Chaplain corps for gathering us here to celebrate Vaisakhi, the

By Annabelle Estera, Asian Pacific American Network, Ohio State University
One of the best parts of my job is the ability to bring in engaging, thought-provoking, and inspiring speakers.
On November 14th, The Ohio State University welcomed filmmaker, civil rights advocate, and interfaith leader, Valarie Kaur to campus. There was a full day of activities planned, including a lunch, workshop, and dinner with staff and students, culminating with an evening screening of her 2006 documentary “Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath,” which tells the story of her travels around the country documenting

Today, families are gathering together around great bonfires in Northern India and around the world to celebrate Lohri, the harvest festival of Punjab. As a girl, I would blink at the growing flames, listen to the pounding of the dhol (drum), and hold my breath as family members stepped forward to announce good news of the last year: The birth of a daughter! A son's first day at school! A new job! A wedding! We would then jump up and dance around the fire, singing folk songs, throwing popcorn into the flames,

Here it is -- the "Top 50 Coolest Desis" of 2013! Congrats to the dizzying array of artists, entrepreneurs and activists who made the list. Surprised and grateful to make the top 10 with brother Prabhjot Singh! When else do we get to be in the company of stars like Neena Davaluri, Mindy Kaling, Aasif Mandvi, Aziz Ansari, and Russell Peters? Check out the top 10 picks below, or follow the link to see the full list:
http://www.desiclub.com/community/culture/culture_article.cfm?id=1210
Excited to see so many trailblazers who inspire me, including Saru Jayaraman

About Valarie

Valarie Kaur is a seasoned civil rights activist, award-winning filmmaker, lawyer, faith leader, and founder of The Revolutionary Love Project. She harnesses love as a public ethic and shared practice to fight for social justice. She believes “the way we make change is just as important as the change we make.”

Latest Tweets

RT @valariekaur: Going offline for maternity leave! But first - Will you be one of our #Beloved200? Your donation will sustain @RevLoveProj…

RT @mauricebloem: If you want to support the vision of reclaiming love as a force for #justice then check out this link via @valariekaur an…